St Helens have confirmed the signing of 28-year-old second-rower Curtis Sironen from Manly Sea Eagles on a two-year deal, with the option for a third year.
Sironen is the son of Balmain Tigers legend and retired Australian International, Paul Sironen, and has made 65 appearances for Manly, scoring on 17 occasions.
On joining St Helens, Sironen said: “I am very excited about the next chapter in my career, and I couldn’t have hoped to have signed with a better club.
“Every Australian player knows that the Saints set the benchmark in the English Super League. I felt extremely comfortable from the get-go when speaking to Kristian Woolf and Mike Rush and I even had an opportunity to chat to Paul Wellens about the move.
“It was a very easy decision for me because I always wanted to play in England at some stage and I feel now is the right time to be making the move. My ex-Manly teammate Joel Thompson also told me some wonderful things about the club and its supporters.
“Obviously my focus remains on the Manly Sea Eagles and hopefully I can finish the season on a big note.”
St Helens Head Coach, Kristian Woolf, added: “He is a big athletic, edge back-rower with a very good skill set. Being a stand-off in his younger years he has a real good passing and second phase game, so he has all the attacking attributes to make a real impact for us next season.
“He knows how to play tough and has very good defensive ability so he will improve us. He knows Joel Thompson well and we know he is a real good person who will fit into the group. He likes his training, is very professional and diligent so he is exactly the type of player we want to recruit.
“We are really looking forward to him coming over and becoming a Saints player in 2022.”
